Stories Best Not Told
by Lionheart 39
Summary: Sometimes the families of service personnel do not need to know what their loved ones do! Ace says too much on the girls day out after Battlefield!


Doris and Winifred were sat enjoying large lattes and cake while waiting for Ace and Shou Yuing to join them. She was admiring the ring Winifred wore on her engagement finger. "He is rather dashing that young man of yours." she said smiling. "Such a gentleman too".

Winifred smiled.

"You make sure you get him to the alter quickly and don't let your job get in the way, The Army has a way of splitting people up."

"So you knew the Brig... Alistair when you were younger?" Winifred asked

"Doris nodded before UNIT in fact, but he was posted and we lost touch, it was just luck we met up much later." Ace and Shou Yuing joined them just as Doris said "I know Alistair comes across as rather stuffy and correct and he is a bit awkward with women, but he was like your young man rather dashing and brave in his youth.

Ace looked at Doris with wide eyed admiration " The Brig is just so cool."

Doris blinked unsure if the young woman was mocking her husband, but no, the look on the young woman's face was 100% genuine admiration.

"I mean firing his gun at the Destroyer of Worlds wasn't exactly wise, but when he got blasted through that wall he was back into the battle just as soon as he had recovered."

Doris was looking at Ace amazed. "Destroyer of Worlds?" Doris asked.

"Yep, about 3m tall, blue skin and fangs, nasty piece of work, known for sucking the life force out of planets. The Prof said when unleashed it was almost impossible to stop. Except with silver bullets."

Shou Yuing was looking as amazed as Doris. Winifred Bambera was trying to signal to Ace that this was not something she should be talking about.

Ace just carried on, she thought Doris should know what a great bloke her husband was.

"Well I'd got the silver bullets and the Prof loaded the Brigs gun and was going to shoot the thing himself. He hates killing anything but I suppose he could see there wasn't any alternative. Then the Brigadier slugged the Prof a right one, knocked him out!"

"Alistair hit the Doctor?" Doris asked disbelief evident in her voice.

"Yep, well I thought he was being a real scumbag and I told him so, but he grabs his gun and tells the Doctor that he's 'More Expendable than the Doctor is!"

Winifred saw Doris's hands tighten alarmingly on her cup.

"He said he was Expendable" she grated.

Ace nodded, "Well I didn't get it at first, but then I saw him dashing into that place, it was an inferno, and he went in and shot that thing with silver bullets "

Winifred saw Doris's eyes were blazing with annoyance. "Expendable", she muttered again.

"Well by then the Prof had recovered and we were dashing in to help the Brigadier when the whole place vaporized! We both thought the Brigadier must have died in the explosion . The Doctor was frantic when we saw the Brigadier's body covered in rubble. We were convinced he'd was dead, it seemed like a miracle that he wasn't. "

"I mean not many guys are brave enough to dash into burning building to face down a massive monster from another dimension!"

"He told me he was just filling in forms and overseeing troop movements." Doris muttered

Back at the Brigadier's house Jocelyn had got the hang of the ride on lawn mower.

"He does a nice job." the Doctor said.

"Yes, Doris will be pleased with that" the Brigadier said approvingly. "He's given me a chance to get those seedlings planted out."

The Doctor smiled at his friend, "So how are you taking to married life and retirement?" he asked.

"Married life is wonderful, Doris is a wonderful wife. Retirement is a bit more difficult, and I'm not talking about the teaching." The Brigadier admitted."But that could change."

The Doctor lifted an eyebrow.

"Geneva have offered me a Generals post on the overseeing council. Just a few days a month with the odd visit to local bases for ceremonial duties. Pretty tame stuff but better than vegetating, Just got to get it past Doris!"

As soon as Ace had finished her tale Doris stood up and marched out heading for the car.

"What's up with Doris?" Ace asked.

Winifred looked at the girl in annoyance, "You just told her that her husband nearly died, and that he put himself in that situation without giving a thought to how it would effect her! So she's pretty annoyed with him!"

Ace pulled a face, "I thought she'd be pleased he's such a cool guy, not stuffy!"

"Ace he's in his late sixties and I reckon Doris would like him being around for quite a few years more! Us humans are pretty easy to damage and we die quite easily without getting ourselves mixed up with Destroyers of worlds!"

Ace was sulking now "The Brigadier seems pretty tough she muttered, you should have seen the way he set those explosives on that space ship! Wow, does that old guy know his stuff!"

Bambera swung around, "Do Not Tell Doris THAT! I doubt she want to hear that her husband survived one explosion only to set up another. For goodness sake Alistair is going to be in enough trouble as it is!"

Doris had taken the wheel of the small yellow car. Winifred was sure they had broken every speed limit on the road.

On arriving back at the house Doris removed her goggles and marched off towards the garden.

Alistair smiled to see his wife, but that smile faded as she marched up to him.

"Expendable!" she accused, "you think you are expendable. You are my husband and you are NOT EXPENDABLE!" She shouted. "Do I mean so little to you that you are willing to just throw your life away? Does all this that we have, mean so little to you?"

Alistair looked lost. "It had to be done!" he pleaded.

"But it didn't have to be done by you!"

"You lied to me Alistair, you told me you were just doing paperwork and overseeing troop movement, not shooting monsters and getting blown up."

"I saw no reason to worry you! I came back safe, just as I said I would!"

Doris lent her head on his chest "Please Love, don't ever, do anything like that again!"

Alistair pulled her into an embrace. "I promise it won't happen again", he assured her. "Generals don't get to go into the field. Do they Brigadier Bambera?"

"No Sir," Brigadier Bambera said snapping a salute.

"It's all boring paperwork, a couple of meetings a month and a few medals to hand out. Almost as good as being a retired maths teacher."

"General?" Doris said.

Alistair gave her the letter. Starting Monday I will need to get a new uniform! And you best be getting a new dress." She looked puzzled.

The second letter she was given to read informed A. G. Lethbridge-Stewart, that he would receive 'a knighthood for services to the crown' in the next honours list.'

"Come on the Doctor has been making supper." Alistair said hugging his wife close to him. "If I remember right he is a good cook. But you'll need a few stiff drinks to prepare you for the state the kitchen is in!"


End file.
